Remote control devices have enhanced users' ability to interact with their appliances for many years. Typical remote control devices are utilized to operate various external electronic devices including, but not limited to, televisions, stereos, receivers, VCRs, DVD players, CD players, amplifiers, equalizers, tape players, cable units, lighting, window shades, and other electronic devices. A conventional remote control is typically comprised of a housing structure, a keypad within the housing structure for entering commands by the user, electronic circuitry within the housing structure connected to the keypad, and a transmitter electrically connected to the electronic circuitry for transmitting a control signal to an electronic device to be operated.
In many remote controls, the user depresses one or more buttons upon the keypad when an operation of a specific electronic device is desired. For example, if the user desires to turn the power off to a VCR, the user will depress the power button upon the remote control which transmits a “power off” control signal that is detected by the VCR, resulting in the VCR turning off.
Because of the multiple electronic devices currently available within many homes and businesses today, some remote controls allow for the control of a plurality of electronic devices commonly referred to as a “universal remote control.” Many universal remote controls have “selector buttons” that are associated with the specific electronic device to be controlled by the remote control (e.g., television, VCR; DVD player, etc.). Universal remote control devices allow for the control of a plurality of external electronic devices with a single remote control, thereby eliminating the need to have a plurality of remote controls physically present within a room.
While conventional remote controls work well for many purposes, typical utilization of remote controls is not ideal. For example, many universal remote controls have a large number of buttons, many of which may never be used, since the manufacturers attempt to have physical buttons for many, if not all, possible command of each possible electronic device. Additionally, even when large numbers of buttons are included in the remote, the programming and compatibility of the remote with new devices are often limited. The result is often a device that is cumbersome and not intuitive. Also, electronic components within these devices can be relatively complex and expensive to manufacture, resulting in an increased cost to the consumer.
In addition, remote controls often control appliances using infrared (IR), radio frequency (RF), and/or other types of signals that are invisible to the human eye. As a result, it is often difficult for a user to tell whether a remote control is transmitting a signal at any given time. While some remote controls include features to alert users when a signal is being transmitted, such as flashing light emitting diodes and/or icons, such features are typically primitive, providing a user only rudimentary knowledge of what his/her remote control is doing.
While conventional remote controls may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they are addressed, from the perspectives of cost, ease of use, and expandability, they are not optimal. Accordingly, there exist ongoing needs to provide remote control systems that can be applied to one or more devices in a more intuitive and expandable manner.